Tom Hanks says he hates watching his films back

Tom Hanks is lauded by many as one of the most popular and recognisable film actors out there, with him starring in some total classics.

From his iconic role as Forrest Gump in the film titled the same name, his starring role in the gripping Captain Phillips, and the more recent Finch - Hanks really has been around the block.

But despite his many cameos, Hanks has said that he actually hates watching films that he has been involved in.

The 66-year-old said that watching his films leads to self-doubt about his acting ability and has to 'wrestle with authenticity' when he is looking back at some of his classics.

Speaking on The Great Creators with Guy Raz podcast, Hanks said: "I wrestle with the difference between lying for a living as an actor and lying to myself as a human being.

"[I see] the falsehood in them [his films]. I see the loss. I see that one time, 'Oh man, I missed that opportunity.'

"And it's not because, at the moment, I chose not to – it's because, after it was done, I realised I didn't go far enough. I didn't go to the place that I could have gone."

"Then I asked myself, well, why? Was it because I was satisfied with what I had? Was it because I wasn't up enough on the text?

REUTERS / Alamy Stock Photo

"Was it because I didn't have enough of those ideas in my pocket? Or you know, was it because I was late that day and we had to rush the shot and instead of six passes, we only got two passes at it.

"That's where the self-doubt creeps in."

In the interview, Hanks did of course touch on the 1994 film Forrest Gump, which landed him an Oscar for Best Actor.

The film star said it was one of few films where he gave it his all, and one he seems proud with all these years later.

He said: "We all sat together for weeks with [director Robert Zemeckis], and Bob was saying, 'Well, what do we make of that?'

"We started at the beginning of the script and we all talked about everything. Even scenes we're not in, and what it meant to the text. That doesn't mean your own lines.

"You must know the text, because the text is the interpretation of the theme, and the theme is why you're all there in the first place."

PARAMOUNT/ AJ Pics / Alamy Stock Photo

Back to the present day, Hanks is starring in the Marc Forster film A Man Called Otto, which has just been released in cinemas.

In the new film, Hanks plays the main character Otto - a grumpy widower whose only joy comes from judging and criticising his neighbours.

But as a new family move in next door, Otto's world is about to turn upside down.